The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-06-25
KING OF DYNAM1TERs.
Capt. Mackay Tells Why London
Bridge was Not Blown to Atoms.

OdpU. AcCkSy Oils WHY iN|tiNAOi
Bridge was Not Blown to Atoms.
Paris Letter to New York Herald
81 planned and executed the London
bridge explosion" began Capt. Louasney
Maekay this morning, addressing reporter
in Paris who had called upon him at his
private apartment in the Rue Cardinet.
GAS you have already cabled, / was not
killed as was supposed, but as you see, am
quite hearty and active"
Then, affecting the manner OF 1Eneas, the
dynamite chief proceeded to relate his re-
narkable experiences.
Since his disappearance from the public
Capt. Mackay has been holding himself aloof
from almost everybody, except a few tried
and trusty agents, who, he says, act under
his instructions. He has held no correspond
ence whatsoever with people on the other
side of the Atlantic, not even with his own
wife or reputed widow. Capt Mackay re-
fuses to explain his reasons for this appa-
rently strange conduct. In the course of
the conversation had with him he said that
only two men would know when and where
certain blow should be struck and that
these two men should be the only men to
strike it,
HARD TO DRAW HIM OUT.
1t was with difficulty that Capt Mackav
was induced to throw off little of the i'm
penetrable reserve that has characterized
his life and actions during the last two years
and half He had, he said, very strong
objection, las a conspirator," to give to re-
porters any news whatever concerning the
conspiracy of which he was a member. He
believed in silence and secrecy, and had no
desire to beat big drum either on the high
WAYS or in the byways-llttering mighty
things against England and Englishmen.
He never pinned his faith to the efficacy or
utility of buncombe, and should not do SO
now.
The room in which the daring dvna-
inter sat was simply, but tastefully, fur
nished. On its walls were artistically exc
cuted portraits of Danton, Hoche, Carnot
and RobespieTre, while the statue of the
Republic stood on the mantelpiece, fanked
by various bric-a-brac ornaments of supe-
rfor workmanship. Various maps of Lon
don and copy of the London Times, CON
tanning the last of the series of articles on
''Parneilism and Crime" were strewn Oh a
little mahogany table in the centre of the
room.
MACKAY'S PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
Mackay looks like a man on the verge of
30 years of age, He is below the medium
height, being about 5 feet inches tall, and
his build is proportionetely slight He has,
however, firmly set shoulders and the wiz
lest of muscles, and his little frame seems to
possess an extraordinary amount of strength
and activity. His face is meagre and as
cetic-still the same beardless face of the
Mackay of old, although at certain times
and for certain purposes he wears an au-
burn beard of the form and texture of that
on which James Stephens used to pride him
self in his palmy days Of "a. His closely
shaven features give Mackay all
the air and appearance of a Roman
Catholic clergyman-particularl owing
to the broadcloth in which he is attired,
as well as the calm and dignifed attitude he
assumes. His manners are frank and unas-
summing. Mackay, who was once a com
positor as well as literary contributor to
several American newspapers, is well edu-
Gated and extremely intelligent man. He is,
moreover, a splendid conversationalist,
while his charming bonhomie has already
made him great favorite in circles where
his real name and career are far from being
suspected. MacSay, personally gives the lie
direct to the usual morbid hair-stand-on-
its-end picture of the dynamiter, who is in
variably represented as a low-browed,
moody, fierce eyed, murderous and ignorant
villain, whose hands are red with gore and
whose lips, like those of the mythical Satan,
spit fire and sulphur on the darkness and OBJ
scurity all around him.
HIS CAREER.
Capt. Mackay was born in Ireland, to
briefly summarize the early part of his story,
but he went at a very early age to Ameri-
ca, where he entered the Northern ranks as
a private and took his part in the Civil War,
during which he attained the rank of lieu
tenant When the struggle was over Mac
kay, like SO many other Irish soldiers,
turned his attention to his native lardfand
offered his services to the Irish + yelu-
tionarY Brotherhood. He was promoted to
the grade Of captain by the council of the
latter organization, and in thatcapacity ar
rived in Ireland in the early part of 1857,
where he took up his post in Cork city as
the Fenian organizer of the district There
he stopped for several weeks, preparing for
the insurrectionary movement which broke
out in various parts of Ireland during March
OF that year.
On the eventful night of the rising Cork
city turned out no less than 10000 men on
four points. Disaster, however, logged the
footsteps Of the insurgents from the very
start. No arms could be had, and they were
compelled to dispense. Mackay selected
from among them zoe of the braveSt and
most experienced soldiers, whom he man
aged to provide with revolvers, pixies and
most inferior rifles. One hundred and
eighty of these men were sent to attack sew
eral police barracks in the district, while
Mackay, with a score of the more resolute,
took the field, and with that mere handful
threw the authorities in the South of Ire
land into state of the utmost consterna-
ton. On one occasion, with his twenty fol-
lowers, he succeeded in laying siege to a
barrack held by thirty to forty policemen.
VICTIM OF HIS OWN KINDNESS.
Having called on the besieged to surrender,
and having been met with a blunt refusal,
Mackay at once seJs fire to the building,
whereupon the constabulary forces cried out
for mercy Here Mackay's chivalry, as he
claims, was exemplified by the fact that
while standing with his revolver at the door
he allowed the captives their liberty with
all the honors Of war One of the men
HON he saved in this fashion was subse-
ldently one of the principal crown wit
nesses against him at his trial in Cork. After
this event Mackay attacked and took pos
session of Martello tower, and during the
succeeding few months prior to his arrest he
made five raids for arms in the open day in
the streets of Cork, Supplying the local au-
thorities by his imperturbable dash and
daring
After the Clerkenwell explosion Mackay
arrived in London, where he met his old
cotnpauion-in- arms, Capt James Murphy,
the reputed author of that "attempt on life
and property Michael Barrett, who after
ward paid the penalty of his participation
in that business, and Others who were
alleged also TO have been sin the SWIM"
He offered three of the latter suspects q